Customers of UK retailer GAME who pre-ordered Splatoon, Nintendo's online multiplayer shooter filled with squids, kids, and paint, received disappointing news today. According to an e-mail sent to customers, a truck which was transporting merchandise from Nintendo's European warehouse to the retailer has been stolen. In the lost shipment was the chain's entire allocation of the limited edition bundle featuring the "Squid Inkling" Amiibo.

Due to the theft, GAME will not only be unable to fulfill pre-orders in time for the game's scheduled release on Friday, May 29, but they will not be receiving replacements for the lost merchandise either. This means that nobody will be scoring the Squid Inkling from GAME at all. Ouch.

Customers who pre-ordered the Splatoon bundle with the special Amiibo from GAME will instead be shipped the standard version. As an apology for the inconvenience, GAME will also be taking £10 off the purchase price of the standard edition. Those who wish to cancel their orders altogether, rather than accept the substitution, will need to contact GAME before they ship out copies midday Friday.

Pre-orders of the Boy Inkling and Girl Inkling Amiibo toys will be fulfilled, though they too will be late in shipping.

But in all seriousness, why this game? Of all games, Splatoon? Not like...the Witcher 3 or something more...I don't want to say news worthy, because the article is proof otherwise. But surely a more high-profile game would be a better target?

Silentpony:But in all seriousness, why this game? Of all games, Splatoon? Not like...the Witcher 3 or something more...I don't want to say news worthy, because the article is proof otherwise. But surely a more high-profile game would be a better target?

I would say it's more for the amiibos than the game. There's no appreciation value for the game due to digital releases these days but amiibos are already in high demand and the Splatoon ones are no exception.

As people have brought up on other places on the web, does GAMES not even have GPS trackers for their trucks? I mean, in general it would be pretty damn easy to steal any game from that particular chain if they only employ one huge truck of their supply of shipments across all chains. Surely they can pool together the money to put a tracker on the only truck they have responsible for new game shipments?

Either way, I hope the cargo is found soon, and if you see buyers with EU Splatoon bundles on Ebay it's best to report them for they may very well be scalpers profiting off of major theft.

Nintendo could screw with the criminals by making more of the bundle and releasing the Squid Amiibo as a regular edition, taking all the value away from the stolen ones. Drop the value of the Amiibo to next to nothing and take away their profits!

Dragonbums:As people have brought up on other places on the web, does GAMES not even have GPS trackers for their trucks? I mean, in general it would be pretty damn easy to steal any game from that particular chain if they only employ one huge truck of their supply of shipments across all chains. Surely they can pool together the money to put a tracker on the only truck they have responsible for new game shipments?

I very much doubt Game actually has their own fleet of lorries at all - they probably shove everything in the back of a hired Eddie Stobart or something, particularly for an order like this. I'd imagine there was other stuff in the shipment too, but we're not hearing about that because it's just tips of icebergs, rather than whole icebergs.

Besides, the company almost went bankrupt three years ago; I'm amazed they can order stock at all, never mind paying for a tracker. And even if they do find the lorry, it'll almost certainly long since have been emptied; they're not going to be sticking games in a Securicor van.

Besides, the company almost went bankrupt three years ago; I'm amazed they can order stock at all, never mind paying for a tracker. And even if they do find the lorry, it'll almost certainly long since have been emptied; they're not going to be sticking games in a Securicor van.

The thing that almost killed game was the threat to make them pay for stock in advance rather than the more sale or return like system that those with a sufficient credit rating with the various distributors get. Game's restructuring manage to allow it to retain or possibly regain it (it may have been withdrawn temporarially for stock not already with game). Without said schemes it becomes much harder to survive.

I pre-ordered it from Game, but they were really good about it. They sent an email explaining the situation, gave a number to call. I honestly don't care about the amiibo, I have one of Link, and I may get one more if the amiibo is a good one. It sounds dumb, but I wanted the free hat that they promised all pre-orderers. I was assured that the hat would still arrive with my order either saturday or monday

I very much doubt Game actually has their own fleet of lorries at all - they probably shove everything in the back of a hired Eddie Stobart or something, particularly for an order like this. I'd imagine there was other stuff in the shipment too, but we're not hearing about that because it's just tips of icebergs, rather than whole icebergs.

Besides, the company almost went bankrupt three years ago; I'm amazed they can order stock at all, never mind paying for a tracker. And even if they do find the lorry, it'll almost certainly long since have been emptied; they're not going to be sticking games in a Securicor van.

Okay, that's a lot of inside context to put things in a more clear perspective. It also just makes the crime that much more shitty honestly. Hitting a chain that's already on wobbly legs is bullshit, and perhaps their inability to even get the cargo back even if they did know where the truck was made them a ripe target. Still, for the sake of it, someone needs to track down those missing copies, or at the very least- the people who robbed them.

major_chaos:Good grief, I knew scalpers loved Nintendo but this is getting absurd. How long before these start showing up on amazon for the regional equivalent of 500 USD?

Ebay, maybe, but probably not Amazon. You can buy the squid and boy amiibo for $25.00 with the girl being 10 bucks extra. It seems Nintendo is going to keep them relatively in stock, so...they aren't really doing themselves all that much of a profitable favor.

I have not used an Amiibo nor ever will, but would not using a stolen one immediately identify it to the server? Or do they work in client mode only? Their only value seems to be in shelf display and at this point not even that because everyone will know they are stolen. Aside from gloating about having one, no one who buys one of the stolen things could ever show it off for fear of being turned in to the authorities for some sort of reward.

gridsleep:I have not used an Amiibo nor ever will, but would not using a stolen one immediately identify it to the server? Or do they work in client mode only? Their only value seems to be in shelf display and at this point not even that because everyone will know they are stolen. Aside from gloating about having one, no one who buys one of the stolen things could ever show it off for fear of being turned in to the authorities for some sort of reward.

I can't say I know much about an Amiibo's inner workings but as far as I know they aren't anywhere near that advanced and using a stolen one will yield the same results as a legally purchased or second hand Amiibo.